W.Va.’s Overdose Death Rate Decline Surpasses The National Rate

West Virginia’s drug overdose death rate continues to fall, even faster than it is nationwide.

Fewer people in West Virginia are dying from drug overdoses, according to new figures from the state’s Department of Human Services (DoHS) and Office of Drug Control Policy.

The data released Tuesday shows a 36 percent drop in fatal overdoses in West Virginia from January through May of this year, a further decrease from last month’s numbers.

“We are proud of the headway we’ve made as it’s a testament to the efforts of our dedicated teams, community partners, and health care providers,” said Christina Mullins, DoHS deputy secretary for mental health and substance use disorders. “Every life saved reinforces our commitment to enhancing and expanding prevention and treatment services across the state.”

West Virginia’s overdose deaths are declining faster than the national rate. West Virginia had an 18 percent drop from July 2023 through June 2024, while the national drop was 14 percent. 

West Virginia has led the nation in overdose death rates for a decade with a peak of 77 overdose deaths per 100,000 people in 2021.

In October, the two groups announced provisional data comparing the first four months of 2023 to the same period in 2024 for the state which showed a 34 percent decrease in overdose deaths.

This data is provisional, meaning these are not finalized figures for the year.

According to DoHS’s press release, the decrease is not expected to fall below 28 percent even with pending cases.

Foundation Director Challenges Opioid Settlement Board To Distribute Funds Before 2025

The executive director of the organization responsible for dispersing West Virginia’s opioid settlement funds challenged board members to award funds by the end of the year.

The board that manages the state’s opioid settlement funds moved one step closer to distributing funds this week.

Through settlements from various lawsuits with opioid manufacturers and distributors, West Virginia stands to gain about $1 billion over the next 10 to 15 years to be spent on recovery and prevention programs.

In March 2023, the West Virginia Legislature established the West Virginia First Foundation, a private nonprofit organization, to handle 72.5 percent of the state’s settlement funds. Another 24.5 percent of settlement money will go to local governments, whilehe remaining three percent will be held by the state in escrow to cover any outstanding attorney’s fees.

The Legislature required that the Foundation have a board seated, an executive director hired, banking set up, and more before it could begin distributing funds.

The board appointed members of its Statewide Expert Panel, as required by the legislature, at its monthly meeting Thursday Aug. 1.

The panel includes state leaders who will help guide funding decisions and develop a comprehensive approach to addressing West Virginia’s struggles with opioids and substance use disorders.

The board opened its August meeting by introducing the panelists who were able to attend the call before voting to approve its members. 

Members of the panel include: 

  • Emily Birckhead, the executive director of the West Virginia Alliance of Recovery Residences
  •  Adam Crawford, a director for the general division emergency department of Charleston Area Medical Center
  •  Jess Grundy, a criminal justice program director at the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security
  •  Laura Lander, an associate professor of behavioral medicine and psychiatry at West Virginia University
  • William Marshall, a commissioner for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitations
  • Christina Mullins, the deputy secretary of mental health and substance use disorders at the West Virginia Department of Human Service
  • Greg Puckett, a Mercer County commissioner and director for nonprofit Community Connections.

The inaugural term of the expert panel, who are volunteers, will run through the end of the year.

Next on the agenda, Executive Director of the Foundation, Jonathan Board reported his accomplishments since taking on the role in May before challenging the Foundation to award funds by the end of the year.

“The reality is the foundation has existed for a year, and I know there’s still a lot to accomplish, but I’d like to challenge the foundation to get money out reasonably between November and December of this year,” Board said.

Several members of the foundation’s board also expressed frustration with the time it is taking for the foundation to award money, while others expressed concerns about being flooded with applications and that the state’s needs assessment has not been completed.

Mayor of Parkersburg, Tom Joyce called the pace of the Foundation “glacial” and said while he recognizes the Foundation has to be careful, the need is urgent.

“What if the mother of all recovery programs has something and we say, “Well, sorry, you guys, you sit tight, we’ll be ready for you first quarter of next year,” Joyce said. “I mean, I think we just need to kind of bite the bullet and prepare ourselves. The expert panel, they signed up for it, right? They all seemed excited. Or, you know, appreciative and eager. So maybe there’s going to be a lot a lot of applications.”

Joyce explained that the programs that will eventually receive the settlement money will need time to plan for their own finances and grant applications.

“It’s frustrating me because folks that at least in this region want to know, ‘When can I make an application to expand my program? When can I make an application to start a new program?’ And all I can tell them is ‘Well, we got a meeting next week, we’ll see,” Joyce said.

Berkeley County Community Corrections Director and board member, Tim Czaja said he understands the need to distribute the money properly but agreed with Joyce and said his constituents have been asking about timelines.

“I have a lot of people who are here on me, asking regularly, ‘What’s going on, what’s happening? When can we request funds?’ And I keep having to say, ‘I’m not sure yet. We don’t have a concrete plan in place. There’s a lot of work that has to be done,’” Czaja said. “I recognize that this does need to be done very thoughtfully and appropriately and we don’t want to just be throwing money out the door just because we feel like we want to do it. It needs to be done properly. So I trust that you’re gonna put in work needed to make it happen appropriately.”

After an hour of discussion, Board suggested a committee be formed to assist in a short-term funding project.

“A group that could sort of work with the expert panel and myself and review themselves, the work product that’s being produced, that would be a great assistance and blessing to me,” Board said.

The board created The Initial Opportunity Committee to develop a short-term, one-time disbursement process, while the organization works to meet the rest of its legislative mandates and create the full application process.

“The idea is to create an out-of-system process to get money out in the next coming months,” said Attorney for the Foundation, John Bshara. “So what’s after that takes place, then the needs based assessment process will be used and that was the subsequent discussion about the needs-based assessment will take a long period of time to develop. So the idea is this interim policy that will probably be used one time, will be used in order to get money out the door more quickly.”

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Marshall Health.

People With Intellectual, Developmental Disabilities To Get Help

On Monday, the Department of Human Services announced the hiring of West Virginia’s first Statewide Intellectual and Developmental Disability, or IDD, Coordinator, Susan File.

West Virginia has a new central point of contact to address opportunities for, and barriers to service, for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the state. 

On Monday, the Department of Human Services (DoHS) announced the hiring of West Virginia’s first statewide Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD), Coordinator, Susan File.

“I am honored to take on this role and look forward to working with the community, providers, and stakeholders to improve and expand services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in West Virginia,” File said.

File previously served as the behavioral health program manager for the Office of Inspector General.

In that role, File oversaw all state-licensed behavioral health facilities and acted as a liaison between the Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification (OHFLAC) and DoHS’s Bureau for Medical Services (BMS) and other bureaus.

File has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from West Virginia State University and most recently served as the president of File Consulting, LLC, a consulting business focused on behavioral health and improving quality assurance and compliance for agencies. 

She was also the executive director of a privately owned, non-profit licensed behavioral health center.

As West Virginia’s IDD Coordinator, File will lead a new project for community engagement specialists tailored to IDD to facilitate community discharge placements.

File will report to Christina Mullins, DoHS Deputy Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders, in the Office of the Cabinet Secretary.

“We are thrilled to welcome Susan File to our team,” Mullins said. “Her extensive experience and dedication to behavioral health will be invaluable as we work to enhance services and support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the state.”

File began work on July 29, 2024.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Marshall Health.

W.Va. Ranks Among Best At Connecting Residents With Substance Use Treatment

In 2023, West Virginia ranked fourth highest in the United States for initiating and treating substance use disorder in residents with the condition. The data was collected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

In 2023, West Virginia was one of the most effective states at connecting residents with substance or alcohol use disorders to treatment, according to federal health officials.

At 52.1 percent, West Virginia had the fourth highest percentage of individuals with substance or alcohol dependencies who began and received treatment last year out of 45 participating states and U.S. territories.

This data was compiled by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency that oversees federal healthcare systems. Each year, the agency aggregates data on a variety of state-level health resources and outcomes.

Treatments for substance use disorders include medication, counseling, rehabilitation services and behavioral health resources, according to a Wednesday press release from the West Virginia Department of Human Services (DoHS).

“Our commitment to providing diverse and effective treatment options is reflected in the improved outcomes we have achieved,” said Cindy Beane, commissioner of the DoHS Bureau for Medical Services, in the press release.

“West Virginia’s commitment to providing evidence-based practices is being recognized nationally and modeled in other states,” she said.

The DoHS credits the state’s strong CMS score to an increase in substance use disorder treatments offered to West Virginia Medicaid members.

This followed the 2017 implementation of substance use disorder waivers for Medicaid users with substance dependencies, which allowed them to access free treatments.

“Overcoming a substance use disorder is not as simple as resisting the temptation to take drugs,” said Christina Mullins, DoHS deputy secretary of mental health and substance use disorders, said in the press release.

“Like many other chronic conditions, effective treatment options are available for SUD,” she said. “While no single treatment method is right for everyone, recovery is possible, and help is available.”

As of November 2023, 34 states and the District of Columbia offered similar waivers for residents with substance use disorders.

At a press briefing Wednesday, Gov. Jim Justice thanked DoHS staff for supporting substance use disorder treatments across the state. He also emphasized his ongoing investment in programs addressing substance use disorders in West Virginia.

“We’re making a dent. We’ve got a long way to go,” he said. “There are a lot of folks that are taking advantage and getting some real help, and getting their lives turned and going in the right direction.”

“We’re making a difference,” Justice continued.

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